Radio Base Station Tower

Proposed Radio Tower

The Harlequin Group consulted Kemnay Community Council on 13/04/17 to seek pre-planning application comments on a proposed 27.5 mtr. high Base Station Radio Tower, to be erected in the policies of Kemnay House. Harlequin considered 8 alternative sites, which were all rejected for various reasons. A planning application for the proposals will be submitted some time in mid May 2017.

The consultation letter from The Harlequin Group reads as follows:

Telefónica UK Limited has entered into an agreement with Vodafone Limited pursuant to which the two companies plan to jointly operate and manage a single network grid across the UK. These arrangements will be overseen by Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Ltd (CTIL) which is a joint venture company owned by Telefónica UK Limited and Vodafone Limited.

Telefónica and Vodafone are in the process of identifying a suitable site in the Hill of Kemnay area for a radio base station. The purpose of this letter is to consult with you and seek your views on our proposal before any planning submission is made. We understand that you are not always able to provide site specific comments, however, Telefónica and Vodafone are committed to consultation with communities on our mobile telecommunications proposals and as such would encourage you to respond.

As part of Telefónica’s and Vodafone’s continued network improvement program, there is a specific requirement for a radio base station at this location to provide improved 2G and 3G services and will also provide 4G high data services coverage in the area.

Mobiles can only work with a network of base stations in place where people want to use their mobile phones or other wireless devices. Without base stations, the mobile phones and other devices we rely on simply won’t work.

Please find below the details of the proposed site and the alternative site options considered and discounted in our site selection process: –

Our technical network requirement is as follows:

75592 O2 Kemnay

The new installation is required to provide additional and improved telecommunications coverage to the area. This would include improved 2G and 3G services and the introduction of 4G services (high speed mobile broadband).

A number of options have been assessed in respect of the site search process and we consider the best solution is as follows:

This site has been selected as the proposal is outside the centre of the village within dense woodland. Siting away from the centre of the village ensures that the environmental impact on the area is minimised. The proposal has also been carefully sited in such a way that none of the nearby residential properties will face directly on to it and benefits from a good degree of tree screening in all directions. The mast required cannot be hidden, but any impacts on the landscape and visual amenity will be limited and moderated by confining height to what is required for operational reasons.

Compared to other forms of vertical infrastructure such as television broadcast masts this structure is much lower in height. It is lower and does not form a sting of structures that march across the countryside like pylons; and it does not move like wind turbines, which are typically higher and are usually developed in clusters.

The Local Planning Authority mast register and our records of other potential sites have already been reviewed, the policies in the Development Plan have been considered and the planning history of the site has been examined.

All Telefónica and Vodafone installations are designed to be fully compliant with the public exposure guidelines established by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). These guidelines have the support of UK Government, the European Union and they also have the formal backing of the World Health Organisation. A certificate of ICNIRP compliance will be included within the planning submission.

In order to give you time to send your comments or request further information, we commit to allow at least 14 days before an application is submitted to the Local Planning Authority. This 14 day period starts from the date at the top of this letter. We would also be grateful if you could please advise of any local stakeholders or groups that might like to make comments.

We look forward to receiving any comments you may have on the proposal.

Yours faithfully,

Raymond Adams

Surveyor The Harlequin Group

Direct Line: 01506 721 012 Email: r.adams@harlequin-group.com

(for and on behalf of CTIL and Telefónica UK Limited and Vodafone Limited)